Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Day 16- Johannesburg

Well, today I not only said goodbye to Botswana, but I also said goodbye to the group. When we landed in joburg, they continued on to NY, while I met up with the father of my cousin's best friend who is from joburg and who is going to house me tonight and take me around town tomorrow. How sweet is that?  My cousin asked him for recommendations and he insisted I stay with him!  

Of course, our trek to the airport was not without a bit if comedy. We first had to go thru immigration in Botswana (that went smoothly) and then get bused a short distance down the road to Zimbabwe for re-entry. There, just like when we entered the country, there was a long line for us to go thru. After about a half hour to 45 minutes, we were finally thru. However, once we were on the bus we learned that one of the tires on the trailer was flat. No problem, right? Just have to change it. Of course, that's easier said than done bc one of the lug it's was missing and was instead secured with a bolt. They didn't have any tool to take it off. So, we had to wait for another trailer to arrive to transfer our luggage.  Luckily we planned for some mess ups and we got to the airport on time. However, at the airport our fearless trip leader and another woman at checking were told there were no more seats on the plane. Our local guide did her magic and managed to get them on the flight, but they both had to sit in the jump seats! Crazy!

Upon arrival, I managed to say goodbye to everyone before going off to customs and immigration. At this point, I have set foot in 3 countries in one day! Talk about a world traveller. ;-)

Sailed threw immigration and met my host out front. He was very easy to spot, wearing an orange shirt just as he had described. We stopped off for some juice and tea and chatted for awhile before he dropped me off at his ex-wife's house, where I would be staying for the night. She is also very nice and she showed me her beautiful garden and some of the things she's been making. Unfortunately, I was a bit of dead weight. I started falling asleep at 8:30 while watching tv. Managed to check in for my flight before heading to bed. I don't have any wifi here, so I'll be posting this later. 

Tomorrow, we are planning to go out to breakfast, then hit a couple shops where I want to pick up a few things I didn't have a chance to get yet, and then go to the apartheid museum. Whether we can see more than that, we'll play it by ear, based on time. 


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